2024 Severity of Needs, People in Need and Targeted
SUMMARY OF NEEDS
Amid ongoing hostilities and infrastructure devastation, millions have lost their homes and are now residing in overcrowded dwellings and structures ill-suited for prolonged human habitation. Conflict-affected people urgently require immediate shelter to protect themselves from environmental hazards, external threats, and violence. This is vital not only for their health and mental well-being but also offers stability, a prerequisite for improved livelihoods and education outcomes. Additionally, people require essential household items to facilitate their daily routines and ensure safety and well-being, including bedding, cookware, mosquito nets for malaria prevention, and solar-powered safety tools.
RESPONSE STRATEGY
Dire non-food items (NFIs) needs will be addressed with in-kind interventions in volatile hotspots, and cash for NFIs in stable, market-resilient areas. A community-based, urban-centric shelter approach is prioritized, emphasizing cash assistance for its adaptability to diverse housing needs, supporting IDPs and host communities. This reduces the proliferation of inadequate sites and alleviates pressures on IDP-occupied schools. In gathering sites, rehabilitation efforts focus on essential needs. Supply chain limitations, high costs, and limited impact temper the provision of tents and shelter kits, while site-development aims to enhance accessibility in flood-prone areas. Active collaboration with development actors targets scalable and sustainable solutions exceeding the cluster’s present capabilities.
TARGETING & PRIORITIZATION
A grounded response forecast was developed through an in-depth analysis of three-year ActivityInfo data segmented geographically by sub-cluster and population group, funding levels, access, and recent displacement insights. This prioritization ensures moderate NFI provision country-wide, and targeted shelter provision in safe and IDP-dense areas, emphasizing the urgent shelter necessities of the displaced over their non-displaced counterparts. This methodical strategy seeks to support 2.1 million individuals, representing 25 per cent of the cluster’s PiN.
PROMOTING QUALITY & INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING
With support from the GBV area of responsibility (AoR), Shelter/NFI (S/NFI) Cluster partners received context-specific training to address GBV risks associated with sub-standard shelter, lighting, privacy, overcrowding, inadequacies in distribution management, and gatekeeper exploitation. These issues were identified though consultation with women and girls living in displacement locations. Subpar settlements hinder access to services, particularly affecting older people and those with disabilities, among others.
The cluster’s solution emphasizes strengthening host communities to shelter IDPs through cash programs, offering more adequate forms of shelter compared to emergency alternatives. Recognizing the inherent vulnerability of IDPs, it is crucial to intertwine shelter and protection efforts through an area-based approach that leverages diverse community networks for transparent vulnerability prioritization, legal agreements for improved tenure security, and continuous protection monitoring. In parallel, the cluster advocates for rental control and exercises Housing, Land and Property (HLP) due diligence to ensure conflict sensitivity. In collaboration with the AAP Working Group, the cluster enhances feedback mechanisms, employing advanced post-distribution monitoring (PDM) tools and emphasizes community engagement to align with beneficiaries' expectations, while ensuring safe delivery of aid through PSEA measures.
COST OF RESPONSE
To assist 2.1 million people, the cluster requires $212.4 million in funding. While the aim is modest, the cluster’s resource-intensive nature makes it financially demanding. Logistical challenges, limited access, fuel shortages, and increased transportation costs drive up expenses. However, certain measures have been undertaken to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness through economies of scale, such as the Common Pipeline harnessing global framework agreements.